


A Rare Summer Moment

by agdhani



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Gen, Heatwave prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-10 01:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3271268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agdhani/pseuds/agdhani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain Flint takes a moment to unwind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Rare Summer Moment

It was a rare moment when his ship, his crew, his duty did not require his immediate attention. Today, with their latest cargo unloaded and the men merrily spending their spoils on liquor and whores, and no pressing need to prepare for a swift return to the hunt, Flint had taken the opportunity to steal a few private moments of his own. This particular stretch of golden sandy shore lay in sight of the bustle of Nassau’s port, and he in sight of those there if they chose to seek him out, but he was alone here now, seated where the baking yellow sand was soothed by the cool blue wavelets gently lapping at his feet as the sea gradually reversed its course to return to the cove. Resting there, without responsibility or threat or care, it was easy to forget, for a moment, the turn his life had taken, what his life had become since the day he had left England.

This had not been the destiny he would have chosen for himself, but circumstances had conspired to deposit him here, forced him to seek his fortune in any way he could so that some day he would be free of Nassau and the wilderness of high seas violence. He had not yet succeeded in reaching his goal, and some days he despaired that he never would, believing it more likely he would end up at the end of a hangman’s noose or at the bottom of the sea then back in a respectable life.

Other days he wondered if a return to a respectable life was what he wanted at all.

One large score. One abundant prize would be enough to bring all of this to an end for him. Would he be satisfied with that? Would he be able to walk away from his ship and never look at the sea again?

Noting the clouds gather along the horizon, the rising wind that carried them causing the anchored collection of ships in the harbor to strain at their moorings, he doubted he would be able to give this up no matter how much wealth he pocketed.

Refusing to dwell on the unchangeable past, or think towards the unknowable future, wanting only to exist in the now of this lazy midsummer afternoon until the tide forced him to retreat to drier ground, he picked up a large creamy white shell, empty of the life it had once housed, its color beginning to bleach beneath the sun now that the waves had deposited it upon the land. The fragile surface showed the cracks and crevices where gulls had made attempt to scavenge the creature that had lived within. Holding the shell to his eye, a telescope to the sun, revealed a swirl of pattern, crimson, amber, orange and white, a kaleidoscope of fire that brought back to his senses the heat that drew the sweat into beads upon his skin. Was he the creature protected by his shell, he mused, or the gull trying to pry another out of theirs? Perhaps a little bit of both.

Footsteps crunched in the sand behind him and then stopped, their owner remaining several feet away, a respectable distance so as not to intrude though it was obvious he was no longer alone. Flint sighed, lowered the shell onto his lap, protecting it as though it were a prized treasure, and after noting that the darkening clouds were nearer to Nassau than they had been, looked over his shoulder at the petite blonde woman who studied those same clouds with keen eyes and equal interest.

“Yes?” he groused, annoyed at the intrusion but not actually angry with her. If not her, someone else would have come eventually. Reality always interfered in such solitary moments. It made them all the more precious to him. Eleanor Guthrie had come on her own, leaving her castle to find him when she could just as easily have sent Mr. Scott or anyone else to fetch him. If she had tracked him down herself, come to him here, it had to be a matter of import and merit.

“Captain Flint…a word, please.”

Their eyes met. He was not sure what he saw within hers, awkward discomfort, perhaps, but intent nonetheless. It was enough to intrigue him, however. He motioned to the sand beside him with a shrug, curious about what she wanted, but not ready to leave his lazy summer retreat for her or for anyone else.

“Sit then. I won’t bite.”


End file.
